On the Soviet-German battlefield, southwest of Moscow, the Soviet army's defense line became loose under the fierce attack of the German army. On April 27, Marshal Zhukov, who was in charge of the entire Moscow war, ordered the abandonment of Kaluga.
Two days later, more than 100 German tanks have advanced to the Kondrovo area, about 200 tanks have advanced to the Meden area, more than 200 tanks have advanced to the outer defense line of Tula City, and about 100 tanks have arrived.
In the Alexin area, in addition, German troops concentrated heavily in Kaluga, directly threatening the security of Obninsk.
Moscow, which has just been liberated, is facing increasing dangers day by day, and the tension has almost reached an unbearable level. Pedestrians walk in groups on the streets of Moscow, which are full of ruins. There are no buses, taxis, or any means of transportation.
They were all requisitioned by the National Defense Commission, and the sky above the city was filled with black ash caused by air raids and burning.
Rumors are spreading in Moscow, and many people are spreading the rumor that this time Germany will not give up until it achieves its goal, and the entire city will be razed to the ground by the Germans. Some people rushed into stores, some robbed trucks carrying canned food from the East, and some people
Quietly burn party cards...
On April 30, the Soviet Defense Council decided to tighten control over Moscow and surrounding areas and bring those who disrupt social order to military courts. All spies, spies or wavers who incited riots would be executed on the spot.
Zhukov, who had experienced hundreds of battles, frequently deployed troops and generals to deal with increasingly dangerous situations. On the one hand, he sought support from Stalin for weapons, equipment, ammunition, food and other strategic supplies. He assembled reserve forces east of Moscow and stockpiled
counterattack; on the one hand, retreat the frontline troops to the prepared positions on the new defense line. Respond with anti-tank weapons to block the German offensive for as long as possible and buy time for the rear troops to complete training and armament.
Fighting rages on around Moscow.
German planes flew over the battlefield and the city of Moscow from time to time, carrying out bombing and strafing operations. Soviet soldiers and civilians risked air raids and carried out evacuation operations around Moscow, removing equipment, metal materials and various semi-finished products from factories and enterprises in the newly recovered areas.
The finished products were collected and sent to the Ural region to resolutely clear the country.
Stalin was preparing to hold a military parade in Moscow's Red Square on May 1st in the name of celebrating International Labor Day, a proletarian holiday, to boost the morale of Soviet soldiers and civilians. To this end, he specifically called Zhukov, who was commanding the battle on the front line, to ask
his opinion.
"Comrade Stalin. I don't agree with this!" Zhukov's attitude was extremely firm: "This is completely making fun of the lives of the Red Army commanders and fighters... After long-term battles, our commanders and fighters have realized that in the war with the Nazis, we have no other choice but to fight to the end.
There is no way to survive, there is no need to agitate anymore! What we need now is to replenish the troops with tanks, artillery, aircraft, rifles for each man, and inexhaustible bullets. Every commander and fighter does not have to fight hungry. What is this?
All are important.”
Stalin was very angry: "Comrade Konstantinovich, let me remind you. When the German troops came to Moscow in the winter of 1940, we did not hold a military parade in Red Square to strengthen the belief of the whole party and the whole army and inspire the Red Army and
Has the morale of all citizens of the Soviet Union been reduced? Why can’t it be done now?”
Zhukov argued with reason: "Comrade Stalin, I think you still remember that the Red Square military parade in 1940 was in winter. Affected by heavy snow and extremely cold weather, the Germans could not dispatch many fighter planes, so they did not pose a great threat to us.
In addition, at that time, the air defense system of Moscow City was relatively complete, and our aviation power was enough to fight the enemy, so there were no unexpected situations in the military parade!
"Looking back at the present time - in the Battle of Moscow that broke out at the turn of the spring and summer last year, our air force suffered heavy losses in continuous operations, with only one out of ten left. The Germans once occupied four-fifths of Moscow, including the Red Square and the Kremlin.
The palace fell, all anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns were lost, and our air defense system was almost non-existent.
"Later, although the arrogant Germans lost a large number of fighter planes in the battle with the Chinese in West Asia, out of their deep hatred for the Soviets, they prioritized the reorganization of the aviation fleet on the Eastern Front after the war. Since March this year,
As Germany's strategic center of gravity moved north again, Hitler made the capture of Moscow the most important goal this year in order to save the face lost in the war in West Asia and prove the superiority of Nazism!
"Because of this, the Germans are bound to win Moscow, and the aviation power on the Eastern Front has been strengthened again and again! In the continuous air battles, our aviation forces suffered heavy losses and were no longer able to guarantee Moscow's air supremacy. If during the military parade, we were attacked
If the Germans are attacked by a dense bomber group, not only will the troops suffer serious losses, but the blow to morale will be extremely huge!"
"Konstantinovich, your concerns are correct!" Stalin remained silent for a long time, did not insist on his opinion, and finally gave up his plan to hold a military parade. Then, he told Zhukov an extremely depressing news: "Comrade Malenkov
Negotiations with the Nanhua government failed, and the other side did not agree to assist us with weapons and equipment, and as you know, our gold and foreign exchange reserves have been exhausted in several consecutive years of war, and now we can only face the crisis on our own!"
Zhukov was slightly startled, and then said: "Based on my research on An Yi, he shouldn't reject it so completely. Could it be that he made any conditions that we can't bear?"
Stalin's tone became urgent and he was obviously very angry: "The Chinese are very outrageous. That An Yi actually wants our Transcaucasus region. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are integral parts of the Soviet Union. We have lost the Far East, Siberia and China."
The land of Asia cannot lose Transcaucasia again!”
When it came to Stalin's hometown, Zhukov didn't know what to say. After a while, he said in a subtle way:
"Dear Comrade Stalin, the great cause of the Bolsheviks is now facing life and death. I know your feelings for your homeland, but please also carefully consider the overall interests of the Soviet Union. Think about how Comrade Ulyanov responded to the German ambitions.
. Think again about the situation when you met An Yi twice in the second half of last year and the beginning of this year. Our war with the Germans is already at a critical moment where we will retreat if we do not advance. If we do not continue to increase investment, not only will our previous efforts be
There is no value. There is no hope for the future.
"In the final analysis, strength speaks for itself between countries. Now that China has defeated Nazi Germany on the battlefield and occupied the Transcaucasus region, they can afford to say hard words! Think about it on the other hand, what they proposed is just the current reality.
What we have, even if we object, it will have no effect. This cannot be changed
Change the current situation of the Chinese garrison in the Caucasus! No matter how much we pay, as long as our Soviets can survive, we may not be able to regain our lost homeland through other means in the future. But if we fail, everything will be lost. Not to mention
It may change the reality that the Chinese occupy the Transcaucasus!"
"You mean... is it not a bad deal to use what we have already lost in exchange for urgently needed aid?" Stalin rarely got angry. He pondered for a long time and said, "Let me think about it. Konstantinovich
Comrade Qi, how are the Germans doing now?"
Zhukov replied: "The concentration of the enemy's assault group is almost completed, and it seems that it will soon shift to a new attack!"
"Where do you think the Germans will carry out their main assault?"
"It is expected that the German army will launch a powerful assault on the Obninsk area from Kaluga to Meden. In the other direction, the German armored group is likely to try to bypass our heavily defended Tula and attack Serp
Hov launches an assault! As long as we capture the line from Obninsk to Serpukhov, our Tula garrison will be surrounded by the German army, and the entire southwest war will immediately be in trouble."
"Vasilevsky and I believe..." Stalin said: "We should launch a counterattack ahead of the German army to crush the assault that the Nazis are preparing. We must launch a counterattack from Serpukhov to Tula to the Alexin area.
Assault, launch another counter-assault from the Obninsk area to the Meden area held by the German army. We strike preemptively to disrupt the German operational deployment and win valuable time for rear military production!"
"Comrade Stalin, what forces do we use to carry out counter-assault?" Zhukov asked puzzledly: "Our reserve corps is seriously insufficient in weapons and equipment, and in the southwest, we have no extra troops, and even the defense is already very weak.
reluctantly!"
"On the line from Serpukhov to Tula, the 26th Army of the Western Front can be used, and in the Obninsk area, part of the 10th Army can be used." Stalin suggested.
"I am against this!"
Zhukov bluntly refused: "I cannot put the reserves into a counter-assault where there is no guarantee of victory. When the enemy's assault group begins to attack, we will have no way to reinforce our various fronts."
"The Western Front has six armies. Isn't this still too few?"
"The strength of the troops is indeed insufficient! After continuous battles, the Western Front suffered serious losses in personnel and weapons and equipment, especially the lack of ammunition. It was called the Six Group Armies, but its real strength is probably not comparable to the three group armies in its heyday. At the same time, the Western Front is responsible for
The defense line is too long, the entire curved border with the German army is more than 500 kilometers long, and the deep defense line in the rear, especially the reserve force in the center of the defense line, is seriously insufficient."
"Don't talk to me about objective conditions! Under extremely difficult circumstances, Chinese comrades have created a huge stir behind the Japanese army, developed and strengthened themselves, and now even go abroad to fight the Germans in North Africa. Are we supposed to be Big Brother?
, can't even compare with the later comrades? Stalin's tone became cold: "As for the counter-assault issue, it has been decided. I will submit the plan tonight." After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Zhukov heard the busy signal from the phone, looked at the phone helplessly, shook his head, and showed a bitter smile.
...
On May 1st, the Soviet counterattack began, but at the same time, the German army launched an offensive against Moscow.
The German army launched an assault on the Kalinin-Rzhov defense line northwest of Moscow, and also launched a general attack on Obninsk and Serpukhov where the Western Front held firm.
On the Obninsk frontal defense line, about 500 German tanks launched an attack, but the Soviet army could only mobilize more than 60 tanks to fight, many of which were light tanks with poor firepower. The Soviet defense line was unable to resist the German army at all.
With a fierce attack, the first line of battle was easily broken through.
In the direction of Tula, after a day and night of forced march, the battle started in the early morning of May 2. The German army concentrated more than 200 tanks to storm Serpukhov's outer defense line. The Soviet army did not prepare a reserve force in this direction, because the reserve force was in accordance with the
Stalin had already set out to attack Alexin, and was tightly restrained there.
After the fierce shelling and aircraft bombing, more than two hundred German tanks rushed towards the Soviet position. The anti-tank guns deployed by the Soviets opened fire, and the German tanks began to burn one after another. The battle on this day
As a result, the German army only caused the Soviet defense line to retreat slightly, but the front was not broken anywhere.
One night later, the German army launched another attack. In several narrow areas, the German army concentrated its tanks and infantry. With the strong support of artillery and dive bombers, it violently attacked the Soviet battle formation. The Soviet army showed tenacity and perseverance.
With his tenacious spirit, he repelled the German attacks again and again.
However, the German army's strength was increasing, and the Soviet army not only needed to attack in several directions, but also experienced a serious shortage of weapons and ammunition, especially anti-tank shells.
On May 5, the German army finally tore through the Soviet defense line. The northern front captured the cities of Kalinin and Erzhov, and the southern front occupied Serpukhov and Obninsk. The two Soviet armies that took the initiative to attack were separated.
Surrounded in the Alexin and Maiden areas, and at the same time the Tula defenders were also trapped in the isolated city. Failure was only a matter of time, and the Soviet army once again faced difficulties.
Under this situation, Stalin had no choice but to lower his head and call Malenkov, agreeing to all the terms proposed by South China and sending weapons, equipment, food, ammunition, fuel and other supplies to Moscow via railway as soon as possible to save the crisis.
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My father was hospitalized again, and the emperor was running back and forth between the hospital and home. He was exhausted and unable to explode. Sorry! (To be continued...)
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